The Expectant Detectives
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
31
Views:
15,570
Reviews:
165
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
2
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
31
Views:
15,570
Reviews:
165
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
2
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters therein. Nor do I make any moneys from the writing of this story. Though Lord knows I wish I did.
Chapter Nine
Thank you everyone for reading my story and a very Happy, yet belated, Thanksgiving!
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
***
Chapter Nine
“Wait just a second,” Hermione cut Severus off as they were eating lunch. “You only questioned two people out of nine there in Oxford before leaving?” He looked at her puzzled. “That was it?”
“We’re going back,” he told her.
“And you didn’t think that you would be creating more work for yourselves by doing it this way?” she asked lightly. “You didn’t think that the witches and wizards there in Oxford would find out about the questioning you two are doing and have a chance to change what they would say because of that?”
He swallowed what he had been chewing. “I have a school to run.”
“That you do,” she agreed. “And Lucius has an empire to build or whatever it is one does with empires these days. But that doesn’t stop the fact that you potentially compromised your would be suspects and/or witnesses.” She worried her lower lip. “I want to see your memories in a pensive.”
***
Hermione reviewed the memories of the interviews several times before she came to the conclusion that she needed more information from both of the men. She set out a list of potential questions to ask them as well as a request for the memory connected to the probable sighting of Regulus Black.
“I don’t know if it’s him or not,” Hermione muttered to Severus when he was looking over her list of questions. “I’m nearly certain he’s dead and has been for decades now.”
“Nearly certain?” he asked.
“People were certain you were dead and you know what happened with that.” She rolled her eyes. “Harry really should have taken your pulse first before declaring you beyond this mortal coil. Thank Merlin I had the foresight to check,” she said casually as she stood up. “I’m applying the soap opera rule.”
Looking to his wife puzzled, he asked, “What is the soap opera rule?”
“In muggle soap operas they kill off characters with no witnesses and bring them back with lame excuses years later. So the rule that many tend to apply to that and I now apply to anyone that is supposedly dead is that if I don’t see the body so that I take their pulse, I’m going to be skeptical if they’re dead or not.”
He thought it over. “Sound rule. But seeing as Potter’s elderly house elf was once a Black family employee, chances are that the little beast wouldn’t listen to your dear friend if the younger of the Black brothers was still among the living.”
“Thank you for your correct insight,” she said, going over to him and kissing him. “Whom are you questioning tomorrow?”
Severus thought it over as he pulled his wife into his lap. Holding her, he looked back into the flickering tongues of fire in the fireplace. Personally he thought going to the carnival would be a good idea at this point, but Lucius was already dragging his heels on that.
“There’s a killer or killers there!” Lucius had exclaimed.
“And what are we?” he asked his friend. “We are two of the most feared wizards on the planet.”
All he had done at that point was glare at Severus and muttered, “How you didn’t get into Gryffindor is quite beyond me.”
It was when Hermione nuzzled his neck that pulled him out of his thoughts and back to the present.
“I don’t know yet whom we’re going to be speaking to next,” he murmured, answering her last question. “Lucius is being less than motivated to even speak about it, never mind wanting to go to Oxford.”
“Do you want me to go with you to question these people?” she asked him quietly.
“I want you safe,” he told her stubbornly.
“Yes, I know, but Lucius will only get worse from this point on,” she sighed. “Even if it’s for his own cause, the wizard can’t see fit to do much more than relegate the work to others. It’s in his blood, I think.”
Laughing quietly, he murmured, “I’m sure you’re right.”
***
“What are these?” Lucius asked, looking over what looked to be a list.
“Possible questions Hermione thought of,” Severus murmured as they strolled up the walkway to the front door of the mansion house of the former death eater that they were visiting.
“And she wrote them out for you?” he asked sarcastically, magically setting them on fire and dropped them as they kept walking. “You are truly dick whipped.”
“I would believe that if that was what I said that it was,” Severus said dryly. “You set part of a potions quiz that she took in her fourth year on fire.” He looked at his friend blandly. “She may have made a list of questions, but that doesn’t mean that I had to use it.”
“Then why…”
Severus pounded on the door before saying, “I wanted to see what you would do.” He smiled. “I must say that I was right in all my estimations.”
“I never thought I would say this, but that woman is a bad influence on you,” Lucius hissed just as the door opened by a house elf. Looking to the servant he said, “We’re here to speak to Mr. LeStrange.”
“Master told me to tell you that he isn’t here, sirs,” the little elf told them, shivering as he did so.
“RABASTAN!” Lucius roared, pushing into the house. “Get your sorry ass over here!”
The youngest of the LeStrange brothers came over and nearly kicked the house elf. As it was, he glared at the two standing at the entrance way to his home.
“To what do I owe this honor?” he asked them sarcastically.
“Just need to ask you a few questions,” Severus told him.
“About?”
“Have you received any dead bodies lately?” Lucius inquired with a straight face.
Rabastan’s glare died as he muttered, “For the love of Merlin, Malfoy, I thought the two of you were here to arrest me.”
“Whatever gave you that idea?” Lucius murmured.
“Him,” he said, pointing to Severus. “Marrying that-that…” He swallowed back the insults and finished with, “witch.”
“You need to answer the question,” Lucius muttered.
Frowning Rabastan asked, “What? You weren’t joking with that dead body question?” He looked over to Severus, who shook his head no. “No, I haven’t.”
“Have you seen anyone about that was unexpected?” Severus asked this time.
“Are you sure you two aren’t putting me on?” he demanded.
“No joke,” Lucius replied. “Have you seen…”
Rabastan paced for a bit, thinking over the question. Stopping he looked over to the two wizards, clearly studying them to make certain that they were telling the truth.
“Rabastan, let me assure you that we wouldn’t have come here if this wasn’t the truth,” Severus told him. “This isn’t a joke. Have you or have you not seen someone that would be totally out of place anywhere near the township of Oxford?”
Settling back on his heels, Rabastan muttered, “I thought I saw someone, but I thought he was in Azkaban or dead at the very least.”
“Who?” Lucius demanded.
“Antonin Dolohov.”
***
Hi! It's time once again for the Review Sing-A-Long!!! The answer to the last one was "Sultans of Swing" by Dire Straights. Pumpkin pie goes out to Arrabella and LadyFireCrab for getting it right! Cookies go out to Sirsevchick for knowing the band, but not the song. If I missed you, I'm sorry!
And here it is, the next song! "Well, it's just a simple fact when I want a review and I don't want to pay for it." Okay, here's your clue--this half east coast, half west coast musical group, who's lead singer is best known for having had a hand in creating a certain big summer tour for alternative music. I went to (a hundred years ago it feels like) the first three and it was amazing! LOVED IT! Okay there go! Hope you guys get it. HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I hope your Black Friday is going well too.
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
***
Chapter Nine
“Wait just a second,” Hermione cut Severus off as they were eating lunch. “You only questioned two people out of nine there in Oxford before leaving?” He looked at her puzzled. “That was it?”
“We’re going back,” he told her.
“And you didn’t think that you would be creating more work for yourselves by doing it this way?” she asked lightly. “You didn’t think that the witches and wizards there in Oxford would find out about the questioning you two are doing and have a chance to change what they would say because of that?”
He swallowed what he had been chewing. “I have a school to run.”
“That you do,” she agreed. “And Lucius has an empire to build or whatever it is one does with empires these days. But that doesn’t stop the fact that you potentially compromised your would be suspects and/or witnesses.” She worried her lower lip. “I want to see your memories in a pensive.”
***
Hermione reviewed the memories of the interviews several times before she came to the conclusion that she needed more information from both of the men. She set out a list of potential questions to ask them as well as a request for the memory connected to the probable sighting of Regulus Black.
“I don’t know if it’s him or not,” Hermione muttered to Severus when he was looking over her list of questions. “I’m nearly certain he’s dead and has been for decades now.”
“Nearly certain?” he asked.
“People were certain you were dead and you know what happened with that.” She rolled her eyes. “Harry really should have taken your pulse first before declaring you beyond this mortal coil. Thank Merlin I had the foresight to check,” she said casually as she stood up. “I’m applying the soap opera rule.”
Looking to his wife puzzled, he asked, “What is the soap opera rule?”
“In muggle soap operas they kill off characters with no witnesses and bring them back with lame excuses years later. So the rule that many tend to apply to that and I now apply to anyone that is supposedly dead is that if I don’t see the body so that I take their pulse, I’m going to be skeptical if they’re dead or not.”
He thought it over. “Sound rule. But seeing as Potter’s elderly house elf was once a Black family employee, chances are that the little beast wouldn’t listen to your dear friend if the younger of the Black brothers was still among the living.”
“Thank you for your correct insight,” she said, going over to him and kissing him. “Whom are you questioning tomorrow?”
Severus thought it over as he pulled his wife into his lap. Holding her, he looked back into the flickering tongues of fire in the fireplace. Personally he thought going to the carnival would be a good idea at this point, but Lucius was already dragging his heels on that.
“There’s a killer or killers there!” Lucius had exclaimed.
“And what are we?” he asked his friend. “We are two of the most feared wizards on the planet.”
All he had done at that point was glare at Severus and muttered, “How you didn’t get into Gryffindor is quite beyond me.”
It was when Hermione nuzzled his neck that pulled him out of his thoughts and back to the present.
“I don’t know yet whom we’re going to be speaking to next,” he murmured, answering her last question. “Lucius is being less than motivated to even speak about it, never mind wanting to go to Oxford.”
“Do you want me to go with you to question these people?” she asked him quietly.
“I want you safe,” he told her stubbornly.
“Yes, I know, but Lucius will only get worse from this point on,” she sighed. “Even if it’s for his own cause, the wizard can’t see fit to do much more than relegate the work to others. It’s in his blood, I think.”
Laughing quietly, he murmured, “I’m sure you’re right.”
***
“What are these?” Lucius asked, looking over what looked to be a list.
“Possible questions Hermione thought of,” Severus murmured as they strolled up the walkway to the front door of the mansion house of the former death eater that they were visiting.
“And she wrote them out for you?” he asked sarcastically, magically setting them on fire and dropped them as they kept walking. “You are truly dick whipped.”
“I would believe that if that was what I said that it was,” Severus said dryly. “You set part of a potions quiz that she took in her fourth year on fire.” He looked at his friend blandly. “She may have made a list of questions, but that doesn’t mean that I had to use it.”
“Then why…”
Severus pounded on the door before saying, “I wanted to see what you would do.” He smiled. “I must say that I was right in all my estimations.”
“I never thought I would say this, but that woman is a bad influence on you,” Lucius hissed just as the door opened by a house elf. Looking to the servant he said, “We’re here to speak to Mr. LeStrange.”
“Master told me to tell you that he isn’t here, sirs,” the little elf told them, shivering as he did so.
“RABASTAN!” Lucius roared, pushing into the house. “Get your sorry ass over here!”
The youngest of the LeStrange brothers came over and nearly kicked the house elf. As it was, he glared at the two standing at the entrance way to his home.
“To what do I owe this honor?” he asked them sarcastically.
“Just need to ask you a few questions,” Severus told him.
“About?”
“Have you received any dead bodies lately?” Lucius inquired with a straight face.
Rabastan’s glare died as he muttered, “For the love of Merlin, Malfoy, I thought the two of you were here to arrest me.”
“Whatever gave you that idea?” Lucius murmured.
“Him,” he said, pointing to Severus. “Marrying that-that…” He swallowed back the insults and finished with, “witch.”
“You need to answer the question,” Lucius muttered.
Frowning Rabastan asked, “What? You weren’t joking with that dead body question?” He looked over to Severus, who shook his head no. “No, I haven’t.”
“Have you seen anyone about that was unexpected?” Severus asked this time.
“Are you sure you two aren’t putting me on?” he demanded.
“No joke,” Lucius replied. “Have you seen…”
Rabastan paced for a bit, thinking over the question. Stopping he looked over to the two wizards, clearly studying them to make certain that they were telling the truth.
“Rabastan, let me assure you that we wouldn’t have come here if this wasn’t the truth,” Severus told him. “This isn’t a joke. Have you or have you not seen someone that would be totally out of place anywhere near the township of Oxford?”
Settling back on his heels, Rabastan muttered, “I thought I saw someone, but I thought he was in Azkaban or dead at the very least.”
“Who?” Lucius demanded.
“Antonin Dolohov.”
***
Hi! It's time once again for the Review Sing-A-Long!!! The answer to the last one was "Sultans of Swing" by Dire Straights. Pumpkin pie goes out to Arrabella and LadyFireCrab for getting it right! Cookies go out to Sirsevchick for knowing the band, but not the song. If I missed you, I'm sorry!
And here it is, the next song! "Well, it's just a simple fact when I want a review and I don't want to pay for it." Okay, here's your clue--this half east coast, half west coast musical group, who's lead singer is best known for having had a hand in creating a certain big summer tour for alternative music. I went to (a hundred years ago it feels like) the first three and it was amazing! LOVED IT! Okay there go! Hope you guys get it. HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I hope your Black Friday is going well too.